Friday has come around again, and that usually means a story about the orphan children I work with. However, today I want to take the opportunity to tell you about something I got to do last weekend. There are a lot of foreigners in Korea. Many are English teachers. But there are also lots of migrant workers and students from all over the world. When Koreans meet a foreigner who can speak Korean, even something as elementary as 안녕하세요?, they are really impressed. Part of the reason in that the westerners who stick out the most here don't often bother to learn a lot of Korean. If you come to Korea, and start a conversation with a taxi driver, a shop clerk, or a waitress, you are bound to get complimented with "와! 우리말 되게 잘 하시네요!"... Show more

These days, Korean students are in the middle of 겨울방학 (winter vacation) so things are pretty quiet around the orphanage.  Kids go home (remember that some of them still have parents) and a few are away on some sort of school trip.  I also haven't been around there as often as I usually am since my own schedule is a bit different right now. It must be pretty boring for them.  Since they aren't in school, they stay home all day.  It's too cold/dangerous to play outside, so they are stuck watching TV, or maybe going to the computer lab.  For many of them, that is their day! I'm sorry there isn't much else to report.  I hope to get a new video made with some of them this week, and have it up for the next post.  I could get them to make a... Show more

I spent my Christmas traversing around Korea, so I'm sorry I can't tell you what happened on Christmas Day. Perhaps I'll have some things to report after my next visit. Today I want to share about something I got from them just before my vacation. On Friday that kicked off the winter holiday, my friend Josh and I had a little Christmas party with the elementary boys. We went to Costco, bought some snacks, and rented Harry Potter. That evening, after dinner, I couldn't find any of the official orphanage staff. The kids were a little rowdy, and they don't really listen to us well, so I was looking for a Korean adult. One of the boys told me that 오마 was out "buying clothes." Seems like a strange errand for 7PM on a Friday, doesn't... Show more

These children have precious few possessions. Most of what they have is shared. They wear whatever fits, and often it fits several kids. Seems like an unfortunate way to live. But the alternative isn't really any better is it? Simply having lots of stuff doesn't bring happiness or stability to your life either. But it is a real honor to bless the kids with something even if it's just a new pair of awesome Spiderman shoes.  Giving the presents was a real treat.  It was a lot of fun, as you saw in the video from last week's post.  The children were overjoyed, and surprisingly grateful.  They usually don't have the best of manners, so it was refreshing to see them say thank you! 

Christmas is not quite the same in Korea. Christmas Day is a recognized holiday, but many schools aren't closed during the week that follows. Gifts are exchanged, but not to the degree that some of you might be familiar with in Western, Judeo-Christian environments. Christmas at the orphanage is somewhat special though. Several different organizations and companies donate gifts to the kids. My church arranges funds to buy some new clothes for the pre-schoolers. Today was the shopping day. Each volunteer was given an envelope with 100,000원 (roughly $100) to spend on the kids. $100 goes a long way, and if you go shopping at the right places, like 동대문 (where 현우 and I went a couple weeks ago), you can REALLY stretch it. In 동대문... Show more